1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



521 



The reports of committees appointed to award 

 premiums were read in the church, and this closed 

 the performances of the day. 



The attendance was very large both days, the peo- 

 ple coming from far and near to be present at this 

 annual gathering. 



We were quite pleased with our ^^sit to Haver 

 hill, and would say to all the readers of the Farmer, 

 if it should be their good fortune to visit that place, 

 not to forget to call on friend Brown, of the Eagle 

 House, who so well understands how to make his 

 visitors feel at home. 



Rem.\rks. — Our reporter is too modest to state 

 that he spoke at the dinner table, but we are as 

 sured that he made a very practical and sensible 

 speech. 



RETURN OF THE ARCTIC EXPEDI- 

 TION. 



Dr. Kane and his party, together ■with the Re- 

 lief Expedition, under Lieut. Hartsteine, have safe- 

 ly arrived at Xev^- York. Some account of these 

 expeditions, — which, it is to be presumed, will be 

 the last sent out by our government, — will doubt- 

 lass interest our readers. 



It will be remembered that Dr. Kane, whose love 

 of adventure has carried him into almost every 

 part of the globe, sailed from New York in May, 

 1853, in the Httle barque Advance, Mith a crew of 

 sixteen picked men, in search of Sir John Frank- 

 lin's expedition. Since his departure. Dr. Kane had 

 been heard from but once, in July, 1853, at Upper 

 Navick, on the coast of Greenland, from whence he 

 was to proceed to Smith's Sound, and forcing the 

 vessel to the utmost na\igable point, secure her for 

 the winter, and prosecute the search by means of 

 sledges. The protracted absence of Dr. Kane in- 

 duced the last Congress, in accordance with the gen- 

 erally expressed wish, to authorize the Secretary of 

 the Na\y to dispatch a suitable expedition to the 

 rescue of the adventurers. The sum of $150,000 

 was appropriated for the expedition, and the inten- 

 tion of Congress was carried out by the purchase of 

 the propeller Arctic, and the barque Relief, which 

 were properly fitted and equipped, and dispatched 

 to the Arctic regions in June last. The expedition 

 was confided to the command of Lieut. Hartsteine, 

 of the U. S. Navy, and the wisdom of the choice is 

 evinced 1)y the return of the party, with Dr. Kane 

 and his companions under their charge. 



The following is a summary account of the voyage 

 of Dr. Kane and his associates : 



The expedition left New York May 31, 1853. 

 The tirst jjort made was St. John's, Newfoundland, 

 where the expedition was shown every attention by 

 the (jovernor and inhabitants. They obtained there 

 eight Labrador dogs for use in sledging in the snow. 

 They took aboard, also, all the beef they could 

 obtain, and marled it. About the Ith of July they 

 arrived at Fishkcntes, a settlement in the soutliern 

 part of Greenland ; Governor Lassing at this point 

 received them with gi-cat hospitality, and afforded 



them every facility in the purchase of furs and 

 eider-down, &c. They took on board at this point 

 an Esquimaux man who wa^ to hunt for them. 



They left Fishkeiens and proceeded next to Suk- 

 kertoppen, so called from the resemblance of a 

 mountain in the vicinity to a sugar- loaf. This 

 place presents many beauties of Arctic scenery. 

 They found there a few Danes, and obtained from 

 them an abundant supply of reindeer furs and seal- 

 skin coats. They reached next a place called Pro- 

 even, a place fifty miles south of tlpernavik. Here 

 they received the aid of Christiansen, who is well 

 known in the annals of the Arctic. They obtained 

 additional svipplies there. While they remained 

 there an Esquimaux ball was given in honor of the 

 expedition, which was attended quite numerously. 

 Took on board twenty Esquimaux dogs, and after 

 remaining two or three days, took their departure 

 for Upernavik, w'here they arrived during the last 

 of July, and obtained Mr. Peterson, who had been 

 ■with Captain Penny as interpreter, for the expe- 

 dition, for the purpose of managing the sledging by 

 dogs. From Upernavik they pushed on to the 

 north. They met no ice until they had proceeded 

 considerably north of Devil's Thumb, in Melvill 

 bay. They expected to encounter ice in the bay, 

 but had a very fortunate passage, being detained 

 therein only about two weeks. They did but little 

 warping. They then made the open water, and off 

 Cape York came to the North Water, so called by 

 sailors, and had a good run thence until the 6th of 

 August, when they entered Smith's sound ■with no 

 prospect of ice, and sailed on until they reached 

 Littleton island in lat. 78 deg. 20 min., which is the 

 highest point reached by Capt. Inglefield in 1852. 

 The expedition landed at the island and erected a 

 cairn, in which were deposited letters, in hopes that 

 Capt. Ingletield on his return would tind them and 

 convey them to England, to be forwarded thence 

 to America. Their most important object, however, 

 in landing at Littleton island, was to deposit pro- 

 visions and a large metallic life-boat, which, in case 

 disaster should overtake their vessel, they might be 

 able to reach it, and by it make their return to 

 Greenland. From Littleton island they saw the 

 tirst block of ice. They then pushed on north, and 

 the first ice they met with was in lat. 78 degrees 32 

 min. They were here compelled to make a harbor 

 to protect themselves from the floating icebergs. In 

 a fe^^v days pushed for'ward again by warping, about 

 15 miles, passing three small islands of rocks, under 

 the lea of which they moved the vessel, but a gale 

 springing up their hawsers were broken, and they 

 were driven to sea. The gale was quite heavy, and 

 as they were runnig before the Avind amid icebergs 

 and large pieces of ice, one struck the vessel's quar- 

 ter and stove in her bulwarks. They escaped fur- 

 ther danger, and again made for the north as fast 

 as they could by means of warjjing, fietiuently close 

 in shore. They Avere subjected to a heavy nip south 

 of a point Avhich corresponds in description to Staf- 

 ford Head. About the first '^♦' Sr^iitcmbcr, found 

 bay ice forming about them ^ .> nv tnu'll, in lat. 7S 

 deg. 37 min. Here they found a deep bay running 

 between two headlands, and in this bay a good har- 

 bor. This formed their first Avinter harbor, in the 

 winter of '53 and '5-i. On the south-Avcst side of 

 the bay Averc three islands about a quarter of a mile 

 from the shore. On the back ground Avas a terrace 

 of sand. Of the tAVo headlands one is east of Staf- 

 ford's Head, and the other corresponds to Thelusson 

 Point. 



The cliff'< at these headlands are from seven to 

 eight hundred feet hi height, tl;ough the land back 

 is lower. The A'cssel Avas moored to some granite 

 island. The rocks in that region are composed of 



